Floor 8 - Boss - Envy the Forest Witch
Earlier that day...
Of the many things that Jet and Koharu were expecting, assisting the commander who'd implied that they'd be slain on sight if he laid eyes on them again... wasn't particular high up there. As they wondered about that, Kizmel held out a number of flowers to the commander, whilst the two talked in some form of elven language that none of the four were capable of understanding...
''You two seem a bit surprised?'' Rain asked, as Jet jogged his memory. Koharu, luckily for them, was already running hers, so to speak.
''Remember what we said about the fourth floor, Rain?''
''Which bit, I just remember a lot of angry ranting from Jet, if I'm honest...'' And did she remember it, alright. She may have had, as Jet had put it once, the patience of a saint... but that had really tested her.
''The bit about stopping the attack. That was the commander who we talked to... and who not so subtlety implied that he'd kill us on sight if he saw us again.'' Who was currently being handed a load of flowers by Kizmel, much to the confusion of the group. ''Uhh, Kizmel, what's with the flowers?'' Koharu asked.
''The flowers here are called Witch's Benevolence. Their nectar gives off heat, so they are often consumed to survive the cold. Us elves use them to make alcohol...'' Kizmel answered, although the look on her face should've been an indicator as to the quality of said alcohol.
''Is it any good?'' Jet asked, evidently not seeing Kizmel's face, and deciding if it was... then a few bottles for Christmas presents wasn't the worst idea in the world. Just as long as he made sure Strea never found them, that was.
''Not at all. We have to mix it with the right combination of spices to make it remotely palatable. It's only really for medicinal purposes, to warm our bodies in this frigid place. If it wasn't for that, no one would ever drink it...'' And that put paid to that plan, Jet thought to himself.
''Eh, give it to Strea. She'll drink it neat.'' He shrugged, remembering his sister's antics (and the associated bills from said antics) over the years...
''Hm, I will admit, I wondered if you'd show up with an army instead of... a knight, and four teenagers. Though, I do have a question for you - the dark haired girl, the swordsmaster who tore through my men, like a swift wind through the forest... where is she?''
''You mean Yuuki? She's off, errr, somewhere.'' Jet quietly hid that he had absolutely no idea where she was.
''A shame, I would've loved to have fought by her side in this matter, but alas. I suppose you are wondering why I've asked you here?'' The commander asked.
''Just a little bit, yeah.'' Koharu admitted.
''Aren't the Forest Elves the other baddies?'' Phillia asked, slightly confused as to why the couple had a prior history with this one...
''Nah, other side of the coin. Neither good nor bad, in real terms anyway.''
''On the fourth floor, I wished to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, especially as we were being manipulated by the Fallen. This has not changed, although the situation has. A woman from the Fallen, who went by the name Kysala came to me with a letter from our king, stating that the Fallen would be helping us to invade Lyusala. Despite our mission, and the animosity between our races... an all out invasion like that seems particularly unwise. I have lost confidence in our leadership, and so have a large number of my forces... Kysala also bought me information on the Witch's Maze, where the Sapphire Key is hidden-''
''Was. Was hidden.'' Jet raised a smirk.
''Do not tell me that loathsome woman has the Sapphire Key...'' The Forest Elf Commander wore a look of fear on his face... as Kizmel materialised a small cloth bag, covered in Elven runes of some form. The look of fear was overtaken by a look of shock. ''You already have the key?!'' He exclaimed.
''Yup. That's why we were a little late... took a shortcut, and grabbed it on the way here.'' Phillia looked quite happy with their handiwork.
''You humans truly do surprise me. I can begin to see why we were on the back foot since you arrived... although, with us ahead of the Fallen for once, I do have to ask you all something... why do you fight for Lyusula?''
''Are you trying to get us to swap sides?'' Koharu asked, slightly worried by the question.
''No, but your reasons intrigue me. Humans have, until now anyway, stayed a neutral party. Why break that now?'' The group all thought to themselves, and took it in turns to answer ''This war's raged for long enough, and I wanted to... sounds daft when I say it, but I wanted to live up to my legacy. Prove my father right in his beliefs, even if the method wasn't exactly how he thought.''
''Kizmel's a friend, and I don't want to see any more elves hold on to past grudges and lose sight of what's important.''
''I was bored, and these three are more interesting than twiddling my thumbs all day.'' Phillia shrugged, as the others collectively winced. ''In all seriousness though, if our presence does facilitate both sides sitting down and talking it out... then that's a bigger win to me.''
''I just wanted to help my friends, and well... I guess my reasons are the same as Koharu's, really.'' Rain admitted, looking sheepish as she did.
''Ah, I understand. Still embracing naive ideals, I see. Before I ally myself with you though, and trust in your words... draw your sword, Knight of the Tempest...'' The commander drew his longsword, and stood ready...
''Uhh... oh! That's me, isn't it?'' Jet asked, as Kizmel nodded, whilst Phillia tried not to laugh at the name again.
''Commander Wendelin... you cannot be serious!'' Kizmel asked, clutching at her saber as she did. Jet drew Hope, and stood opposite the Forest Elf Commander, or Wendelin as Jet guessed he should now call him, looking over his opponent.
''I accept this duel, commander. Guys, stand back, would you?''
''Good, let us begin... Knight!'' Jet got into a ready stance, and prepared for the elf's first attack, a vertical slash, blocked by Hope, which Jet followed with a quick counterattack, the positions changing as Jet took the far side of the arena, whilst Wendelin took nearside, and both opponents charged each other again...
After five minutes, the duel, whilst not particularly clear cut, was certainly edging out in Jet's favour, him having swapped to using his sword and shield again, rather than just Hope. Kizmel, fearful for her friend, especially knowing that he seemingly didn't know when to quite, as in his fight with Kysala, decided to call it there, ''Stop! The victor is decided... isn't that what you wanted?''
''Yes, you are a more hardy opponent than I expected. Still though, I was fighting to kill, yet I saw something in your eyes... a calculating look, one of a man unwilling to take a life.'' Had Jet been one of Wendelin's men, he would've had that attitude beaten out of him, even if it were perhaps a sign of a more noble intent.
''What good would taking your life here have done?'' Jet put Hope away, and turned around... a shadow forming as he did...
''I can only hope you do not hesitate like that in an actual fight, Knight.'' Wendelin stated, failing to notice the growing numbers of shadows, and one which was beginning to form into a familiar figure... ''Oh I can say he doesn't... remember last time... Jet.'' Kysala stood behind them, grinning evily.
''You look well for someone who had their throat slit.'' Jet muttered in annoyance.
''You killed a mere party trick. A shadow of magic, and I shall take the Sapphire Key from you here, as I did the Agate Key then.'' Kysala seemed more frustrated than she did angry, at that being bought up.
''Nah.'' Jet answered confidently, not even bothering to give a full answer.
''You sound awfully confident for someone exhausted from a duel...'' Kysala readied her weapon, a jagged looking machete that looked as if it had seen far better days...
''You sound awfully confident for someone who's best trick is running away...'' Jet mocked, as he made a 'go away' gesture towards Kysala.
''We aren't letting you get your hands on that key, not this time...'' Koharu drew her dagger, whilst Rain and Phillia got into position for their attacks.
''I don't believe I asked you, insolent brat.'' Kysala sneered towards Koharu, and Jet's attitude changed rapidly. As petty as it was, this one had nearly killed him at least once, and he knew that she wasn't going to let them walk away from here. Back on the fifth floor, he'd felt some form of guilt over killing the siblings... he'd feel no such guilt if Kysala perished at his blade!
''Oh, well, if I was gonna go easy on you... not anymore!'' The group began their attacks, and the rest was history...
Back to the Present
''Yeah, turns out six of us versus just her... wasn't what I'd call a fair fight.'' Phillia admitted.
''How long did it take?'' Kirito wondered aloud, earning an eye roll from Asuna.
''About twenty seconds. Turns out Rain is easily the best DPS I've seen ever.'' Koharu explained, Asuna looking quizzically at her, and not knowing what a DPS was...
''No kidding... we had to step back, else we couldn't tell where her blades actually were!'' Phillia was still getting used to the whole duel wielding thing, but she had a slight hunch that Rain had took Kysala nearly killing Jet sort of personally, despite only hearing about it from Koharu... she hoped it was that, anyway.
''Did you get anything about the boss?'' Asuna asked.
''Funny you should ask that... the way Wendelin described it to us, it was the old ruler of this floor.'' Phillia stated, taking a seat on the now vacant bed.
''The guardian of this floor is the stuff of our legends. Envy the Forest Witch, the once benevolent ruler of this forest, now turned into a malicious monster, wreaking havoc on humanity as penance for their sins. We were told this as a bedtime story, a warning to the young about the price of their treachery.'' Kizmel began to explain... ''Generations ago, this land was a luscious place, and animals roamed freely, and the land had a lord. His son was a sickly child, and grew into an even more sickly adult. The lord was undeterred, and asked every doctor in the land for their expert opinions. None were particular optimistic... and so, he turned to the ruler of the forest. A witch, as kind as she was wise, and always accompanied by the stray animals she raised. The lord pleaded with the witch, offering anything within his possession to save his son, and she did so, using a concoction of herbs from the land. In return though, she asked for full control over a small portion of the land, simply so she and her animals could live in peace. The lord however, was a greedy man, and decided that it would be waste to lose the forest and its magical herbs...''
''The lord betrayed her, didn't he?'' Koharu asked, dreading where this story was going, as Kizmel carried on...
''Indeed, Koharu. The lord sent out his army, and the result was a slaughter. Every animal that fought to protect the witch was killed, and their pelts used by the lord as a show of his superiority over the witch, who attempted to hide away from the carnage her kindness had wrought. It was all for nought in the end, as the lord's army captured her, and the lord went so far as to execute her himself...''
''All of that, because he couldn't bear to lose some land...'' Asuna looked absolutely mortified as the story carried on, and the lord descended further and further into the status of tyrant.
''The witch's execution did not go as planned though, and she was saved by a black cat taking the blow intended to kill her, before a second did hit her. In her final moments, she took the cat to her herb garden, which contained her secret. Enshrined there, a branch of the sacred tree, which had given her herbs their miraculous properties.''
''Wait... the sacred tree? Kizmel, that's...'' Suddenly, a number of pieces began to start to take shape in Koharu's mind.
''The branch in the witch's garden had long since withered, but its blessing continued to shine on the garden in the form of its leaves. By the time the witch reached her garden though, only a single leaf remained. The witch sacrificed this gift to save the gravely injured cat... and then stabbed herself with the branch. The branch however, was not completely drained of power, and the witch discovered that, as the power transformed her into a monster. As she did, she drew in the warmth of the land, and encased the lord's castle in ice... a symbolic gesture to show his cold hearted nature to the onlookers.''
''It's hard to say he deserved anything else... but what about the people of the land? They hadn't wronged her, and yet she doomed them to... well, this!'' Phillia exclaimed.
''A good point. There were people who respected the witch, and in turn, she respected them, providing their town with warmth. Perhaps her kind nature hadn't completely gone, after all...'' Kizmel mused, as a knock at the door interrupted her. Kirito, as the one nearest to the door opened it... and watched as the usually graceful Argo collapsed into a heap on the floor, having been leaning on the door beforehand. Stood behind her, Jet, Rain and Silica, all of whom fought back some degree of laughter.
''Couldn't help a gal up, could ya?'' Argo asked, looking less than pleased at her new position on the floor. Asuna helped her up quickly, and the nine strong group made their base within the rather small room, a position that was less than comfortable for all of them. ''So, the floor boss is...?''
''Some form of mutated humanoid, at a guess. Apparently it uses branches to attack, like tendrils, and it can clone itself using the shadows around it. We were told not to, ahem, 'lose sight of it's weapon' too. So, I guess that means its weapon could control the shadows, maybe?'' Jet thought aloud, as he explained what they'd been told by Wendelin after their fight with Kysala.
''Not looking forward to this, our first fight with an almost human enemy...'' Kirito thought aloud.
''Umm...'' Most of the group looked quizzically towards Kirito, wondering whether he'd completely forgotten his experiences of the Elf War Quest, before he realised what he'd just said ''I meant human floor boss!''
''Yeah, it'll be a nice change of pace to not die of fright on seeing the boss...'' Jet half joked, remembering the sixth floor boss.
''You jest, but this guardian is equally as dangerous'' Kizmel pointed out.
''Yeah, but some people get by with humour when they're stressed. On the note of stress, which of us wants to message Pinky and Perky, and tell them about the boss?'' Jet admitted, before insulting the guild leaders.
''Who are Pinky and Perky?'' Rain voiced the silent thoughts of everyone else present.
''Kibaou and Lind.'' Jet answered, realising that he'd now be the one doing it, as everyone else gave him a smile...
A few hours later...
Unsurprisingly, with information on the floor boss, a strategy meeting was called to discuss the upcoming boss fight. ''So, this boss is more human than any of the ones we've faced previously. That's... concerning for our morale.'' Lind looked on, deep in thought. What about, Jet wasn't sure, nor was he sure that he wanted to know, really.
''Screw it bein' more human, I'm more worried 'bout that shadow stuff. Did ya get anythin' that could help us this time round?'' Kibaou asked, although to Jet's ears, his definition of 'asking' felt a little more like 'mugging'
''Just information, I'm afraid.'' Jet answered, the two guild leaders deflating in disappointment.
''So, who's yer new friend, she ain't gonna be a load, is she?'' Kibaou pointed to the ginger haired member of the group, who was blissfully unaware of what was going on, chatting away with Koharu and Liten.
''New friend?'' Jet muttered, before it clicked who Kibaou was on about ''Oh, Phillia, no. She's up there with us, so you just worry about keeping your own house in check.'' He commented, before walking back to the group, still deep in conversation...
''Well, I take it that went well?'' Koharu assumed, given none of the three wore hand prints around their necks...
''Well as can go. Anyway, we should do our planning, where's Rain?''
''She's gone to get our potions. Something's bothering her, I think.'' Koharu explained. In the time they'd known Rain, Koharu had noticed that she was extremely good at putting up an affable front, but when something was troubling her, she became very quiet, and looked for excuses to be away from people. She'd briefly wondered if they'd done something to bother her, or the situation with Silica was still playing on her mind, but she wasn't telepathic, so she had no real way of knowing, unless Rain spoke up, and something told her that she wouldn't, unless prompted, anyway.
''I'm gonna go look for her. You two going to be alright here?'' Jet asked, turning on his heels.
''We'll be fine, don't worry.'' Koharu answered, as he began to take off.
The town on the Eighth Floor was a pleasant place, teeming full of people... which made it a perfect place to hide. Rain knew her friends would be worried if she took too long, but for once, she was too busy in her own thoughts. She checked her inventory, and looked at her swords. She'd made the mistake of using her twin blades during the last battle, and someone had noticed. She'd been lucky that it was only Kirito, who wasn't the witch hunt type...
She was weighting up the pros and cons of using them during this battle, and coming to the conclusion that she might actually be better sitting this one out currently... ''Penny for your thoughts?'' Asked a large, and somewhat orange, shadow.
''Who's there!'' Rain snapped out of her thoughts, and pointed a finger at her interrupter, before realising how daft she probably looked.
''Just me, everything alright?'' Jet raised his hands jokingly, as if surrendering.
''I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me!'' Rain smiled at Jet, with very little cheer in it. Despite how much flak he got for being clueless, some of it admittedly justified, he wasn't completely useless at reading people. ''Really? You look as if you've just spent the past however long mulling something over...''
''If you had a skill that you know you'd get the worst kind of attention for, if you used it... would you use it?'' Rain asked quietly, hoping for a fresh perspective on her dilemma.
''You're talking about your swords, right?'' Rain simply nodded, and Jet continued ''It's hard to say. On one hand, you taught yourself how to fight like that, and the maths to do so, well, it boggles my mind, and you are extremely good at it. Hell, that fight against Kysala earlier showed that... but on the other, you don't want to find out how the guilds would react to you having something unique. It'd be a 'beater' situation all over again, and this time, there'd be no one to take the heat off you.'' Jet paused for a moment as he considered his next words. ''Rain, you're part of our group now. We wouldn't ditch you for anything like that, and I'm hoping Kibaou and Lind are at least competent enough to keep the assholes from starting a witch hunt again. Look, I know I've said nothing of any use, really, but... it's your decision, not mine, at the end of the day.''
''Yeah.'' Rain answered, still looking at her inventory.
''Sorry I can't give you a magic bullet here, but whatever you do, we're behind you.'' Jet smiled, as he stood up again, ''Anyway, we've got the evening off, boss fight's tomorrow. I was gonna say we, as a group, go and get a bite to eat, and hopefully, this time I don't pass out against a wall.''
''Don't joke about that! You could've been hurt!'' Rain looked slightly annoyed at Jet's nonchalance at that incident. Whilst he was passing out, it had been terrifying for her to see her friend slumping down against a wall, looking agonised, and she wouldn't have wished that sight on her worst enemy.
''Yes, mom...'' Jet joked, as Rain sighed.
''For worrying us like that... you owe us all food.'' Rain gave a satisfied smile, as Jet looked on in shock. ''I never agreed to that! Rain... Rain... Oi!'' The redhead continued to walk back laughing under her breath at the indignant flailing being that was her friend.
The next morning...
The morning of the boss fight came, and for once, Jet didn't feel completely exhausted as he woke up. It was funny that, you could wake up more tired than you'd actually been when you fell asleep, it was a strange situation, Jet thought as he tried to avoid waking Koharu up, and headed into the kitchen, where to his surprise, Rain and Phillia were already sitting. ''Finally!''
''Didn't know I was that well liked... Thanks Ginge!'' Jet felt over the moon at the ego boost...
''Nope, but you do know how to make coffee apparently, and therefore, you are possibly the most valuable person in this damned world currently.'' And then felt as if his ego had been rubbed through the manure. It was incredible just how much of a rollercoaster this morning had already been, really.
''So, rather than say 'Can I have a cup of coffee?' like an ordinary person, you went with 'Finally!'... and you say I'm strange!''
''Too early. Gimme coffee.'' Phillia groaned. Had Jet had less of a sense of self preservation, a comparison to Gollum might've been on the cards.
''Magic word?'' Jet rolled his eyes.
''Jet, give me coffee, or else I will call you Jethro throughout the boss fight?'' Phillia shrugged, as Jet moved faster than she'd ever seen him move, darting into the kitchen and looking for the ingredients...
Some time later, and Koharu had woken up too, and the group were sat around the kitchen table eating what was tentatively described as 'cereal'. Honestly speaking, Jet thought it was closer to eating dried twigs, but since he hadn't figured out how to do a full English yet... twiggy cereal it was.
''Rain, you made your decision yet?'' Jet asked, swallowing down another twig of 'cereal', whilst Rain looked around skittishly.
''I think so, yes. I'm not going to let my fear and anxiety rule my decisions...''
''Good for you! Umm... exactly what are you two on about?'' Koharu asked, slightly confused at the conversation.
''I was... well, still am, worried that using my swords would cause more problems than it'd solve.'' Rain admitted.
''I wouldn't worry about them, I think they're still reeling from your dressing down of them last time...'' Phillia gave a Rain a pat on the back, as she walked back to her 'room' to retrieve her stuff. ''So, what's the plan?''
''Kibaou's in charge for this one, but do as we always do.'' Jet answered, offering very little of an actual plan.
''Work in almost perfect unison?'' Rain questioned.
''Make it up as we go along.'' Jet admitted, as he picked up his stuff too. ''Guess we should get going, huh?''
A few hours later, and the assault team had all met up, ready for the trip into the labyrinth, and their encounter with the Forest Witch. The lack of any real information on the boss, other than Kizmel's explanation of the lore surrounding it earlier, was a cause for concern... but there was only so much digging that the group had time to do. With the ALS in charge, it was unsurprising that they'd be seeking the glory for the win, and the group had decided to just let them have this one, for once.
The group made haste through the labyrinth, clearing it in less than an hour, a new record if Jet remembered correctly, and were now gathered outside the boss's chamber. A quick look at the engravings around the chamber revealed Kizmel's story to be near enough spot on, and made it seem as if Wendelin's information was also correct. During the beta test, the boss had apparently been a relatively straightforward affair, relying on being able to throw familiars at the players, and striking whilst they were distracted, but this time, the branch attack could be a nasty surprise if it caught players off guard.
''E'rryone ready! Let's git 'um!'' Kibaou yelled, as Jet looked around at their group. Rain had equipped her second sword, whilst everyone else was watching the door... ''Okay, let's do this.'' Jet spoke, readying his shield.
As the group entered the chamber, what immediately struck them was the sheer size and spectacle of it. A darkened sky, speckled with stars above them, and an ornate ring surrounding the boss area, covered in stars, with what appeared to be a cradle hanging in the centre... it looked like nothing they'd seen before, and in any other circumstances, would've been an awe inspiring sight. Today though, it was simply going to be the backdrop to the battle...
As the door closed behind the group, a hysterical cackling could be heard, before their opponent graced them with their presence. If Jet was honest, he was expecting something far uglier, considering they'd been mutated by a sacred tree. The boss herself was a fairly average looking opponent, and one that Jet would've instantly pegged as a witch, even if he hadn't been aware beforehand... the broom, cackling and their general demeanour was a dead giveaway, alongside the black cat in the cradle.
Hahahahahahahahahhaha! The cackling became increasingly deranged sounding, and the group readied themselves for the witch's first attack, which came moments later, her broom slamming against the ground, before sweeping over it, anyone in the path of the cleaning apparatus evading quickly, before the witch picked her broom up again, and slammed it into the floor...
''What's the boss doin'?'' Kibaou asked, as the players all noticed something... small branches popping out of the concrete beneath them. ''Outta tha way!''. No one needed to be told twice, and Jet ducked under a branch, slamming Hope into it as he went. The branch fell off behind him, severed from it's magical roots. ''Huh, we can actually destroy the AoE attack. That's new.'' Jet thought to himself momentarily, before cutting off a branch attacking a DKB member, confirming his thoughts. ''Guys! Aim for the branches, they can be destroyed!'' Jet yelled, as he barrelled towards another branch, and lopped that one off too, before a scream broke him out of his lumberjack mode...
''The branches! Look!'' Jet's attention snapped to the branch at his six o'clock, before a shadowy arm slammed past him. ''Woah!'' ''This is really starting to piss me off!'' He thought, a thrust from Hope taking the shadow's arm off, as the girls dealt with their shadows. Momentarily, Jet wished he was a bit shorter, and a lot more nimble, before his train of thought was hurriedly derailed, and his shadow was swiftly decapitated.
In the briefest moment of a reprieve, Jet glanced towards the boss's health - almost an entire bar had gone... despite him not having seen anyone going for it, everyone being too busy handling the shadows... The shadows... that's it! They're part of the witch's weapon, and that weapon's a part of her now! ''Everyone! Focus on the witch's weapon! That's the source of the attacks!'' He yelled, as members of the ALS charged at the witch, and were left flat on their backsides as she swooped past.
The next attack came, and the group all focussed their attacks on the broom, and within minutes, the second health bar was rapidly depleting, the witch's movements become increasingly erratic, and far more focussed on specific players. Unfortunately for Rain, this meant that, thanks to her earlier prowess in attacking the boss, it had singled her out for its next volley. With her now on the defensive, the rest of their group picked up the slack on the attack, Jet focussing on defending Koharu and Phillia, whilst the more agile girls ripped at the broom, with blistering speed, and precision strikes.
The minutes counted by, and the boss was down to it's final slither of HP, which every player present knew to be bad news... it signalled a phase change, and the boss would become far more aggressive, and its attacks far more potent.
Something the group were rapidly discovering, as it began to rain down massive ice crystals. ''I've heard of Hail Marys, but this is ridiculous!'' Jet yelled, as he blocked a chunk of ice larger than his head... leaving a rather nasty dent in his shield.
Thankfully, whilst the group were playing the most terrifying version of dodgeball, or at least the most terrifying without involving explosives, the assault team had closed the gap, and dealt the hammer blow that took down the Forest Witch...
CONGRATULATIONS!
Never had that single word felt quite so deserved, if you'd asked Jet. By nothing short of a miracle, everyone was still present and unharmed, which gave everyone the chance to finally breathe easily for the first time in almost an hour. Unsurprisingly, it was Kibaou who broke the silence, as he went around congratulating his guild, whilst everyone else to the time to get their breath back. The fight had been prolonged, and brutal, but they'd prevailed.
''Nice job, all o' ya's.'' Kibaou begrudgingly admitted, as Jet gave a small gesture of acknowledgement. ''Ya ain't holdin' back anymore, which means we won't either. Ya ain't gonna be the MVPs next time.'' Jet felt like smacking Kibaou upside the head. Some of it for the arrogance, but the rest for just how stupid that sentiment actually was. To his surprise, Kirito decided that he felt like having a laugh at Kibaou's expense, and saving him from doing it, ''Come on, we're buddies, aren't we?'' The group looked over to Kibaou, who looked as if he was about to burst a blood vessel at that, and Jet fought back a snigger as he did. ''You tryin' ta piss me off?!'' Kibaou looked ready to lamp someone, but seemed to have slightly more self control than he appeared to, as he calmed himself down, ''N'er mind... we din't lose anyone, an' that's all that matters... don't be shocked when we clear the next floor, 'fore you lot get the chance ta swan in...''
''Oh, don't you worry... we'll be able to keep up. If I were you... I'd be getting my running shoes on about now.'' Jet smiled, as Kibaou glared at him, and walked off, muttering about 'the stupid beater, and his stupid mates'. Jet decided he was gonna let that one slide... mainly as they'd been the ones to provoke him, for once. ''You're getting better at handling Kibaou... any time soon, and you could get a license!'' Kirito laughed, as Asuna just looked thoroughly confused beside him... ''What kind of license would that even be!''
''Dog handler?'' Phillia answered, without missing a beat. Unlike Jet, who'd nearly missed a footstep, and was currently in hysterics...
''What are you guys doing now, we're going to head up to the Ninth Floor?'' Asuna asked, as Jet picked himself up off the floor behind them.
''Going back to town to stock up first, so we'll probably catch up tomorrow.'' Koharu answered.
''Well, don't take too long, else the guilds will have the lead...'' Asuna joked, as she and Kirito walked off towards the gate.
''All's well that ends well, eh? That's a new feeling for us...'' Jet admitted, noting that their luck with the boss battles wasn't fantastic, and even more so, their luck with people after the boss battle...
''So on that note... why are we going back to town? We're fairly well stocked up on potions, even after that...'' Phillia asked the question on everyone's mind.
''Argo asked us to come back, as we never really got to say goodbye to Silica.'' Jet answered, noticing the Argo-like smirk forming on Koharu's face.
''Did she now...'' Koharu asked, knowingly.
''What's the- oh...'' Rain caught on quickly, and began tapping her nose.
''Look, she reminds me of my sister. It's basically hardwired into me at this point.'' Jet tried to defend himself, but failed miserably.
''Look who's got a soft spot, huh?'' Phillia teased, as Jet considered his options. None. He had no options.
''Why am I getting teased for this...'' Jet wondered... and would continue to wonder for at least the next hour as they headed back to the town, and probably considerably longer...
{Author's Comments}
Very little to say this week, so...
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Signing off,
Midland 2541.